Refrigerator-car



(No ModeL) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

L. BUTTER.

REFRIGERATOR GAR. No. 283,150. 4 Patented Aug. 14, 1883.

(No Model.) 2Sheets-Sheet 2.

L. BUTTER.

REPRIGEBATOR' OAR. No. 283,150. Patented Aug. 14, 1883.

ill llmllllll VETEHS. Pham-uxhoga hur. wnhin mn, D. c.

To all whomrit may concern: v

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LEVI BUTTER, on NnwMA Ns'rown, PENNSYLVANIA.

REFRIGERATOR-CAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 283,150, dated Application filed March 3, 11883. (No odem full, clear, and exact description of the invento show the interior;Fig. 2, a-longbitudinal tion, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. a

and it consists of parts and combination of parts, all as will hereinafter be described.

Referring to the drawings, Figure" 1 represents a perspective with partsbroken away section through part of the car,fand Fig. 3 a .crosssection of the car on a line through the dust.

A, A, A, and A are. thewalls of the cars, B the roof, and C thefloor, all forming the ice-receptacle and storing-space for freight. The walls are of two thicknesses and provided with spaces a, which are filled with any suit able non-conducting substancess'uch as saw At suitable intervals in the spaces a are formed passages D,which extend from near the bottom of the freight-space upwardly through the roof B. 'The upper endis provided with a cowl, d, which may be of any of the well-known forms, and pivote'd in such a manner as to beturnedin any desired direction by the hands or the motion of the car.- The lowerend of these passagesD open into the freight-space at d, and are provided with slidevalves 0?, for regulating the sizeof the openings d. The motion of the car will-create to a limited extent a draft through the passages D, and exhaust as far as possible all air within the freight-space. It will also prevent the collection of warmer strata of air in the upper part of the. freight-space as the air is drawn from the bottom, and the warmer air will naturally seek the outlet before the cold air. Thereforethe cold air, while descending from the ice-receptacle, will not be met by ascending currents of warmer air, as would be the case if the inner end of the passages terminated near the upper part of the freight-chamber.

In practice it may be desirable to regulate August 14, 1883.

the draft which exhausts the air from the freight chamber or space, and to accomplish "this I'provide theslides at above referred to.

These slides move in ways attached to the side of the car, around the openings d,which may be closed to any desired extent, or entirely closed.

Suitable doors, E E, are provided at each side of the freight-space; but it is obvious that doors may be placed in the ends, if desired.

Above the doors are beams I, which extend My invention relates to refrigerator-cars,

from side to sidevof the cars, and are attached in any suitable way. Between the beams and the roof is the icenreceptacle B, which may be linedwith any suitable metal, and is provided with an opening, B which may be of any suitablesize, and closed by a cover, B Upon the-bottom ofthe ice-box is awooden frame,which protects the bottom from the ice dropped'through the opening in the top of the ice-receptacle. The bottom B of the ice-receptacle rests upon the beams I, and is provided with slits b,which allow the waste water and the cool air from the ice to pass from the ice-receptacle to the freight-space. Upon the underside of the parts of the bottom which project beyond the beams and form the edges of the slits b are attached thin sheets of metal b,which]project downwardly and inwardly toward the troughs, for a purpose that will hereinafter be explained.

Suspended between the beams by means of keep the water which. might splash against. a 95 i the bottom bfrom running into the freight= space, as they are inclined toward the center of the troughs, and any water that may be splashedupon them by the motion of the car v or the stopping and starting of the same will i run down the inclined sides to the troughsfroc over which they hang. The water, running from the troughs, passes into a long inclined trough, G, placed parallel to the side next to the lower and open end of the inclinedtroughs. At the lower end of the inclined trough G is a pipe, G, which opens into the trough and 5 conveys the water therefrom. This pipe is arranged in folds, the upper ends of which reach to near the under side of the troughs, to retain the cold water therein as long as possible, and at the same time form a water-seal, which prevents air from entering the car by way of the lower end, 9 of pipe G", which terminates outside oi the car, so that the water will have no access to the car by this means.

I am aware that the metal surrounding the I5 slit in the floors of ice-boxes in refrigeratorbuildings have been inclined like that part surrounding the slit 1) of my floor, and for the same purposes, but am not aware that sheets of metal, I), have been placedbelow the slits, to

20 catch the water thrown from the trough by the motion of the car and return it to the troughs.

I am also aware that air has been drawn from near the bottom of a refrigerator-buildin g, and to that I make no claim; but

What I claim is- 1. In a refrigerator-car, the combination of an ice-receptacle having a bottom provided with slits, and inclined plates 1) 1) below said slits, the walls of which, 9, form with the ino clined plates adouble check for the water, and

inclined troughs placed below said slits and inclined plates, substantially as described.

2. In a refrigerator-car, the combination of tially as described.

an ice-receptacle having a bottom provided with slits, and inclined plates 72 7) below said 5 slits, the walls of whichformwith the inclined plates a double check for the water, and inclined troughs having curled edges and placed below said slits and inclined plates, substan- 3. I11 a refrigerator-car having its outlet closed, as described, the combination of an icereceptacle placed in the top of the car, and

having slits for the water to pass through,

troughs placed below the slits, and having a waste-pipe coiled in the car, and exhaust-pipes operated by the movement of the car, and withdrawing air at or near the bottom of the car, substantially as described.

4. A refrigerator-car having an ice-chamber providedwith a slotted floor, and inclined platesb b on each side of the slot, inclined troughs beneath the slots in the floor, a freightspace having a longitudinal trough placed at the lower end of the inclined troughs, and'a coil of pipefor drawing the longitudinaltrough, and exhaust-passages opera-ted by the movement of the car, and withdrawing the air at or near the bottom of the car, which is closed, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I afliX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

LEVI BUTTER.

Witnesses: 7

WM. L. IBAoH, Z. M. KAUFMANN. 

